The lower prices for firearms and ammunition that we're seeing now - relative to a year ago - and the recent layoffs and Daniel Defense got me thinking about a thread we had a while back on what to concentrate on getting regarding products of the firearms industry.

With what we're seeing as to prices and availability, what area(s) would best to focus on for someone with a limited budget - firearms acquisition? stockpile ammunition? reloading components? other?

Bump stocks?

I would and have been getting magazines for what I have. I've been considering a 500 dollar or so AR-15. I've also been stockpiling ammo while it is cheap. A couple of 1400 round buckets of .22 can go a long way during political turmoil. I'm starting to run out of the cheap fodder I got during the Clinton scare. 70 bucks a thousand for 9mm back then. Also watch for bargains. Sig recently put .40 226 mags on sale for 9.99 and P239 .40 mags for 8.99. No shipping over 100 bucks. I'm now shooting up the .40 ammo I bought in Bush last couple of months. Multiple mags makes it easy.

No previous interest in bump stocks, and none now. (I know you were kidding. )

$70 for 1000 9mm - that was a while ago!

I did take advantage of the .357Sig sale on GT recently. Hard to beat $9/box of 50 in that caliber.

I guess my question is a moot point for me. With the vehicle repairs needed this year the gun budget is pretty much nil. There's enough for a modest supplementing of my ammo. supply when prices are right, and taking advantage of the same on reloading stuff.

Magazines, though, I hadn't thought about and, after taking inventory, is an area in which I am deficient. Thanks for that suggestion.

It’s hard to not grab up everything in sight. I make sure I have plenty of mags for each gun as noted and ammo. There are some LEO trade in’s I’m finding hard to turn away right now. Heck, all Glocks need a home don’t they? Accessories will always be there, scopes, lasers, furniture, etc. Mags and ammo may not. I bought 10 boxes of that .357Sig ammo also!

Get a tourniquet or two while your at it. I wonder if anyone in the crowd in Vegas had one? Regardless of which end of a gun you're on you oughta have one on you.

quote:

Originally posted by marksman41:
With the vehicle repairs needed this year the gun budget is pretty much nil.

I bought a lot of ammo locally over the years just by buying a couple of boxes here and there at a time.
It's nice having a blasting supply that didn't require a large initial pile of cash.

Mags are consumables, (and politcal fodder), good to have a supply on hand. They do eventually wear out, break, etc. It's hard to have too many.
You can buy a bunch when they're on sale or pick up a couple at a time...whatever fits your cash flow.

I know there have been discussions here about the Bushmaster XM-15 M4A2 Patrolman in 5.56, but I don't remember what the general opinion was regarding them. I see them priced at about $650 with one 30-rd mag.

Are these any good? Do they take standard Colt mags or something readily available? How are they for durability and replacement parts?

As much as I want to buy every great gun deal I see, I have so far been able to talk myself out of them (unless a totally screaming deal )

Multiple ARs, multiple * 2 handguns, multiple sub guns. I have to keep reminding myself I only have 2 arms.

Since Vegas I have been thinking of another 25 or so Pmags before prices start going up should the hi-cap issue rear its ugly head again. Not “needed” but cheap insurance when they can be had under $10 a piece.

Could really use more AR 308 magazines, but haven’t come across any “can’t refuse” prices for them. I just ordered MPX mags from Sig this morning, they have Gen 1 20 rounders on sale for $10 and 30 rounders for $19. Eight total coming my way, have had no problems with G1 mags in my G2 gun, so with these I should be pretty well set for it.

My wife has been nagging to get go bags together, so will be working on that over the winter. Have most everything needed except first aid stuff, just need to get it together.


Once I get a few things paid off, discretionary fun money is going to ammo. I figure about another 2-3K each of .223, 9mm, and .45 along with 1500 rounds .308 and I should be set for a good while.

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:
I know there have been discussions here about the Bushmaster XM-15 M4A2 Patrolman in 5.56, but I don't remember what the general opinion was regarding them. I see them priced at about $650 with one 30-rd mag.

Are these any good? Do they take standard Colt mags or something readily available? How are they for durability and replacement parts?

Just sayin...

The Colt LE6920 "Trooper" (it's an LE6920 with a Centurion Arms rail) can be had for under $700.

https://gun.deals/search/apach..._firearms_wikiarms=0

Lots of good info on the Trooper here:

http://www.m4carbine.net/showt...18-Colt-6920-Trooper

tp

Colt's a good name, of course, but I know nothing about mixing parts from another supplier. Are these assembled by Colt, and use standard Colt mags and replacement parts? If so, that would be a better way for me to go. Thanks for pointing it out.

PS, a quick check of Colt's website says it's a real Colt, but no sights. I guess that's going to add a bundle.

Ammo will just get cheaper, until the next election. Magazines.....they're usually the same price for the most part, maybe a little cheaper......guns are what I'd go after.....

quote:

I know there have been discussions here about the Bushmaster XM-15 M4A2 Patrolman in 5.56, but I don't remember what the general opinion was regarding them. I see them priced at about $650 with one 30-rd mag.

Awhile back, during yet another one of the 'scares', I figured I better pick up a few AR-15's before things got any more stupid.

I bought two Colt 6920's and two Bushmaster Patrolman's to evaluate. Out to the range, 25 rounds each at 50 yards off the bench in 5-round evaluations using various ammunition. RG 62 grain NATO green tip, 62 grain LC green tip, Federal XM193 55 grain, LC 55 grain and Winchester Q3131.

Groups were indistinguishable and POI was nearly identical for all four rifles. No discernible difference on paper. Operation was identical and all of them had atypical gritty triggers. After 100 rounds, deciding which pair to keep was a coin toss.

What decided it for me was that my AR 'go-to' guy is a Colt nut. And having to listen to him twist his panties every time I came in with a Bushmaster was nothing I cared to endure. I kept the Colt's and sold the Bushmasters. I had picked them up for about $750 each - sold them both to a guy for $1,000 each a few weeks later. The market was surging upward, and for the time, he was very happy withe the deal. Since I had paid $1,000 each for the Colt's, it bought my price down to $750 each, which is what one can be picked up for now.

That said, I just picked up a Bushmaster 14.5" for a trunk gun and a Patrolman just because I want one around to trial over time.

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:

PS, a quick check of Colt's website says it's a real Colt, but no sights. I guess that's going to add a bundle.

Not really...you can order sights, the Magpul MBUS is one example, pretty reasonable...

https://www.joeboboutfitters.c...ccessories-s/242.htm

https://www.joeboboutfitters.c...t-Gen2-p/mag-247.htm

For a red dot something like this "daily deal" for a Vortex SPARC with 10 P-mags from Palmetto State Armory for $199 (that's pretty close to the price of the SPARC alone)...the P-mags are very good magazines and would work well in the Colt...

http://palmettostatearmory.com...ag-30-magazines.html

quote:

Originally posted by Jager:
...Groups were indistinguishable and POI was nearly identical for all four rifles. No discernible difference on paper. Operation was identical and all of them had atypical gritty triggers. After 100 rounds, deciding which pair to keep was a coin toss...

That's good info, Jager, thanks! Any feel for durability/dependability differences between the two brands? Mag interchangeability?

How about the Korean 100-red drum mags? Loaded/storage maybe. If they go after the bump stocks I imagine these would be next.

quote:

That's good info, Jager, thanks! Any feel for durability/dependability differences between the two brands? Mag interchangeability?

No mag fit issues. And I use everything...

My 14.5" had about 700 rounds through it when I picked it up. Looked pretty new. I've only put about three hundred through it, so durability is not something I can comment on.

The torture test I saw had some decent durability, and barrels were wearing out at about 10,000 rounds. These were rapid fire, get her hot, firefight round expenditures. Most AR-15 owners will see about 15,000 round before replacement.

Thanks! Looks like a Bushmaster would be OK, and less money overall than Colt or some others.